WHAT ON EARTH IS PRIVATE WORLD .

 ORDERING YOUR PRIVATE WORLD.  

               Author: Gordon MacDonald.

What on earth is a private world? That’s a good place to start. Gordon explains it as the part of life where we know ourselves. Best of all, it is where self-esteem is forged. Where basic decisions about motives, values and commitments are made, where we commune with our God. As he puts it, for practicing Christians, our most persistent advocate of ordering our private world is the Holy Spirit.

Is there need to have my private world in order? From the book, I can most certainly say yes. Our inner world is more spiritual in nature. Here is a center in which choices and values can be determined. Where solitude and reflections might be pursued. It is a place for conducting worship and confession. If neglected, this private world will not sustain the weight of events and pressure that press upon it. Our outer world on the other hand, is much easier to deal with. It consists of work, possessions and a host of acquaintances that make up a social network. This world keeps screaming for our attention and action. The result? Our private world often gets cheated and neglected because it doesn’t shout quite so loudly.

How can I tell when my private world is disordered? The author gives a list of symptoms to tell a disorganized private world. The following stood out for me;

i)                   My desk takes on a cluttered appearance. – This might look simple on face value but it goes a long way in telling us how your inner self looks like.

ii)                 I tend to invest my energies in unproductive tasks. I actually find myself doing small and boring things just to get something accomplished. There’s a tendency toward day dreaming and avoidance of decisions that have to be made, I keep procrastinating.

iii)               I feel poor about my work- what I manage to finish, I don’t like it. I find it very hard to accept compliments from others. In the secret of my heart, I know I have turned in a second-best job.

iv)               When disorganized, I rarely enjoy intimacy with God. I certainly have intentions for pursuing that camaraderie but it never gets quite established. I excuse myself saying there’s no time but in my private world, I know it is more a matter of organization and a personal will than anything else.

So, how do I start ordering my private world? I guess this is where I ask you to grab a copy of the book and read it but I’ll be kind enough to highlight a few that have acted as my major take away.

i)              The start of an organized day, an organized life and an organized private world is making a committed appointment with God. I should never compromise this!Psalms 119:105 Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Then, set some time to be alone and quiet before God. Deliberately start the discipline of listening to Him. You can bring your mind into this inner place by journaling. As you be honest to yourself in putting down your feelings, your fears, and your sense of weakness your inner self begins to open up and be vulnerable before your Father.

ii)                 If my private world is in order, it will be because I have begun sealing the “time leaks” and allocate my productive hours in light of my capabilities, my limits and my priorities. This deals with my tendency to think that since I can do this thing (that which I’m best at) well without much preparation, let me spend most of my time on this (that which I’m not so good at). The effect of this is that it wastes my potential. The remedy? Share tasks with others. I.e., who is best at doing what?

iii)               If my private world will be in order, it will be because I have determined that every day will be a day of growth in knowledge and wisdom. I cannot emphasize enough on the beauty of reading.  The dulling of the mind leads to ultimate disorganization of the private world. Start with God’s word and then, please get a copy of this book.

Can I recommend the book?I’m sure by now you know my answer. It’s a definite yes! It’s quite an eye opening read. Ultimately, by the end of it, your challenge will not be separating out the good from the bad, but in grabbing the best out of all the possible good!

Hey! Take the dive!

Written by Teresia Esther Gitau who i am privileged to walk with in 2019.